你
Hello, where can I get a taxi?
Beginner · 6-8 min
Find the Taxi Pickup Point寻找出租车上车点
After this scene, you can ask staff where to take a taxi, follow an exit and arrow signs, confirm the walking direction, and understand that you need to queue before boarding.
Learning
Scene setup
You have just arrived in China and need to take a taxi from the airport to your hotel. At many Chinese airports and high-speed railway stations, taxis use designated pickup areas that may be some distance from the arrival exit. Ride-hailing cars usually pick up passengers in a different area, so first follow the signs to the taxi pickup point. Passengers wait in line there, while taxis queue separately and pull forward one by one.
Core dialogue
工作人员
Go out through Gate 3 and walk to the left.
你
Is it far?
工作人员
It's a little far, and you need to make a few turns along the way.
你
Then how do I get there?
工作人员
Do you see the sign marked “Taxi” by Gate 3? There is an arrow beside it. Just follow the arrow.
你
I see it. Do I go to the left?
工作人员
Yes. You will see this sign all along the way.
你
Can I get straight into a taxi when I arrive?
工作人员
You need to line up first, and get in when it is your turn.
你
Okay, thank you.
Key phrases
Pick a phrase and see what it means here, and how to reuse it.
Phrase Card
Phrase 1 of 6
chū出zū租chē车
taxi
From the dialogue
你:您好，请问出租车在哪里坐？
Hello, where can I get a taxi?
Use it here
Use 出租车 for a metered taxi that you take from a taxi stand.
Say it another way
- chū出zū租chē车zài在nǎ哪lǐ里zuò坐？
Where can I get a taxi?
- wǒ我xiǎng想zuò坐chū出zū租chē车。
I want to take a taxi.
- chū出zū租chē车shàng上chē车diǎn点zài在nǎ哪lǐ里？
Where is the taxi pickup point?
Patterns
Pick a pattern and see how it helps you say new things in the same scene.
Pattern Card
Pattern 1 of 3
从 + Exit + 出去，往 + Direction + 走
Give an exit first, then say which direction to walk.
从出口出去，往方向走
出口 = a gate or exit
方向 = left, right, or forward
From dialogue
- cóng从sān三hào号mén门chū出qu去，wǎng往zuǒ左zǒu走。
Go out through Gate 3 and walk left.
Try also
- cóng从èr二hào号mén门chū出qu去，wǎng往yòu右zǒu走。
Go out through Gate 2 and walk right.
- cóng从zhè这ge个chū出kǒu口chū出qu去，wǎng往qián前zǒu走。
Go out through this exit and walk forward.
Common mistakes
Small fixes that make your Chinese sound natural.
1. Do not confuse 出租车 and 租车
Not natural
请问租车在哪里坐？
Natural
请问出租车在哪里坐？
Why
出租车 means taxi. 租车 means renting a car and refers to a different service.
2. Put the number before 门
Not natural
从门三号出去，往左走。
Natural
从三号门出去，往左走。
Why
For a numbered gate, put the number before 门: 三号门, 二号门, or 五号门.
3. Use the complete verb 排队
Not natural
到了以后要先队。
Natural
到了以后要先排队。
Why
排队 is the complete verb meaning to line up; 队 alone is a noun meaning a line or team.
Connected learning path